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World leaders are united in their condemnation of the terrorist attack in Barcelona which claimed the lives of 13 people. Nationals from at least 18 countries fell victim to the van plowing massacre in the busy Las Ramblas district of the city which also injured over 110 people. Read Full Article at RT.com

Pharmaceutical company Mylan has struck a deal with federal authorities to pay out $465 million in damages after allegedly overcharging the Medicaid program by millions of dollars for their EpiPen products.
Read Full Article at RT.com

One of Washington’s main allies in their fight against the Islamic State in Syria says US forces will remain in the country’s north long after the jihadists are defeated. Enduring ties with the Kurdish dominated region is said to be a goal of the US.
Read Full Article at RT.com

A bust of president Abraham Lincoln in the predominantly black Chicago neighborhood of West Englewood is the second monument of the 16th president to be vandalized in the US this week. And President Donald Trump is responsible, a Chicago alderman says. Read Full Article at RT.com

A witness to the Barcelona vehicle ramming attack, whose daughter survived the terror attack at the Bataclan theatre in Paris in 2015, said he felt horrible for the victims and blasted the media for helping the terrorists instill fear in people. Read Full Article at RT.com

The ACLU has declared a “historic victory” following the settlement of its lawsuit against two CIA-contracted psychologists involved in torturing suspects and developing the agency’s ‘enhanced interrogation program.' The terms are confidential. Read Full Article at RT.com

At least 6 civilians were injured before Catalan police neutralized 5 terrorist suspects in the coastal town of Cambrils, some 100km from Barcelona. Police said a bomb squad was set to carry out several “controlled explosions.” Read Full Article at RT.com

With scars across her face, an injured hand and tear-stained eyes, Mariam struggles to talk about the trauma she has faced. The Russian-speaking girl is in a Baghdad orphanage, and told RT her mother is dead and she doesn’t know where her father is. Read Full Article at RT.com

An explosion Wednesday night in Alcanar Platja is believed to be linked to Las Ramblas attack in Barcelona, regional authorities have said. Initially, police presumed it was a gas leak that caused the destruction of a house that lead to at least one death and several injuries. Read Full Article at RT.com

One American soldier was killed and a combined 20 US and Afghan troops wounded during operations against Islamic State in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, as a number of senior Pentagon officials visited the country. Read Full Article at RT.com

US Defense Secretary James Mattis put the military option against North Korea back on the table following President Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon saying that a military action against Pyongyang is out of the question.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) claimed responsibility for Thursday’s vehicle attack in central Barcelona through it’s Amaq news agency. At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured after a van rammed into pedestrians at speed. Read Full Article at RT.com

Four more protesters have been arrested and charged with felony counts over the toppling of a Confederate soldier statue in Durham, North Carolina. Hundreds of people tried to symbolically turn themselves in before being directed away from the courthouse. Read Full Article at RT.com

German prosecutors have launched a probe into claims that members of the country’s elite Special Forces team performed Nazi salutes, sung to a far-right band and offered a woman as the “main prize” at a farewell party for their departing brother in arms. Read Full Article at RT.com

Police have established a second stop-and-frisk zone in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, as a turf war between mixed immigrant-Danish gangs resulted in a spike in gun violence. Read Full Article at RT.com

Police are treating the Barcelona van crash as a terror act with at least one confirmed fatality and scores of injured people. The attack is the fourth such incident in Europe. Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm have all endured attacks of this kind. Read Full Article at RT.com

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt has hit out at those who doubt the authenticity of the hamstring injury that saw him pull up in the final track race of his career at the World Championships in London. Read Full Article at RT.com

Ethno-nationalism is for ‘losers’ but winning the economic war with China means everything for the United States, President Donald Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon said in a rare interview, outlining his plan to fight Beijing.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Barcelona’s most popular street, La Rambla, was packed with “hundreds of people” as a van sped through it at, knocking down multiple pedestrians, and creating “panic” as people fled and sought shelter in roadside shops, an eyewitness said. Read Full Article at RT.com

Photos and videos have emerged online from the incident in Barcelona city center where a van struck dozens of pedestrians on a busy thoroughfare. Police have confirmed it was a terrorist attack and at least one person is dead and 32 injured.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Berlin must not spend billions on militarization to appease Donald Trump, the German foreign minister said, adding that Chancellor Angela Merkel should not “kneel” to the US president. Read Full Article at RT.com

At least 13 people have died and over 100 are injured after a van struck a group of pedestrians in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona city center. Police have confirmed that they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Read Full Article at RT.com

A van has crashed into a crowd in Barcelona killing 13 people and injuring 100 others, according to Catalonia authorities. Police say they are treating the incident as a “terrorist attack.” Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian domain name registrar Ru-Center has suspended the services it agreed to provide American website The Daily Stormer after Russian internet watchdog Roskomnadzor discovered that the site promotes neo-Nazi ideology. Read Full Article at RT.com

A man in Sweden has been charged with murdering a family member with scissors, according to local media. The victim’s wife says it was an “honor killing” because the victim refused to kill his daughters after they had shaken hands with boys. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to grant citizenship to Australian two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medal-winning track cyclist Shane Perkins. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian Justice Ministry listed the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group as a banned extremist organization after establishing that some of their practices could constitute a threat to society and public security. Read Full Article at RT.com

Japan wants to bolster its missile defense with the US Aegis Ashore system in light of North Korean threats, local media reported. Tokyo also plans to increase its number of Aegis-equipped destroyers. Read Full Article at RT.com

Annual joint US-South Korea exercises are non-negotiable and will continue as planned amid threats from the North, a top US military official said. It comes after Beijing called for "dialogue and consultations," adding that military means "cannot become an option." Read Full Article at RT.com

The price tag attached to Britain’s next generation F-35 fighter jets is expected to rise dramatically. The controversial aircraft is in urgent need of an upgrade at a time when the British pound continues to fall in value. Read Full Article at RT.com

Scottish football club Celtic FC showed their support for MMA star-turned boxer Conor McGregor with a huge banner before their UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualifying match at Celtic Park on Wednesday. Read Full Article at RT.com

A futuristic flying descendant of the gull-winged DeLorean car will soon become a reality. The vehicle famously fired Marty McFly through time in the hit Hollywood flick ‘Back to the Future’. Read Full Article at RT.com

The South Korean president has vowed to avoid “losing everything” in another conflict with the North, adding that Seoul can veto US military action in the region. He also warned North Korea “to end its dangerous gamble” with missile tests. Read Full Article at RT.com

British volunteers fighting with Kurdish forces against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria pose a domestic security threat to the UK, a neoconservative think tank claims. Read Full Article at RT.com

Britain was thought to have potentially “very large” reserves of shale gas for the fracking industry to extract. However, according to a geology professor, the supply has been grossly overestimated. Read Full Article at RT.com

Members of the Russian upper house have stated that the 16-year US military campaign in Afghanistan had ended in failure and reiterated a call for Washington to withdraw troops from that country. Read Full Article at RT.com

Sarah Champion was reportedly forced out of the Labour shadow cabinet after writing a controversial piece for the Sun claiming authorities must examine possible cultural reasons why British Pakistani men are “raping and exploiting white girls.” Read Full Article at RT.com

NATO is asking outside contractors to pitch concepts on military operations in urban areas, admitting that the bloc’s forces are still unprepared for waging wars in big cities, including those lying close to the coast.
Read Full Article at RT.com

In the wake of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says the company is committed to clamping down on hate speech online. But some users are asking whether the social network’s process is flawed and one-sided. Read Full Article at RT.com

A right-wing Australian politician has caused uproar on social media after entering the senate chamber wearing a burqa, calling for a ban on the Muslim full-faced veil which she calls “oppressive.” She was immediately chided by the government representative. Read Full Article at RT.com

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is blocking marijuana research which the Drug Enforcement Administration has requested to undertake dozens of times. The DEA and the DOJ also have opposing views on tackling the so-called MS-13 gang.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The Bolivian foreign minister has firmly rejected Washington's hegemonic ambitions as manifested in Donald Trump’s latest threat of a military intervention in Venezuela, while underlining Caracas' right to self-determination without outside meddling. Read Full Article at RT.com

The HBO cable network has suffered yet another cyber security fiasco after it had several of its Twitter and Facebook pages, including those of the iconic 'Game of Thrones' show, briefly compromised by an apparent “white hat” hacking group. Read Full Article at RT.com

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has condemned racism and bigotry amid criticism of President Donald Trump’s reaction to the violence in Charlottesville. Sessions made the comments during a speech against sanctuary cities. Read Full Article at RT.com

Amazon’s stock market value lost as much as $5 billion during premarket trading after President Donald Trump tweeted that the online giant does “great damage to tax paying retailers.” Trump has long accused Amazon of not paying its fair share of taxes.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The Department of Homeland Security has shut down an Obama-era program that allowed minors fleeing from violence in three Central American countries to join their parents in the US.
Read Full Article at RT.com

An investigation conducted by Syrian authorities indicates the Idlib chemical incident in April was orchestrated by terrorists, Syria’s deputy Foreign minister has said, and that the US used it as a pretext to attack the Shayrat Airbase. Read Full Article at RT.com

Hopes of returning to normal existence lie with the Syrian army, residents of the ISIS-besieged city of Deir ez-Zor told RT in exclusive footage recorded just a stone’s throw from the frontline, where armed forces are making a final push to liberate the city. Read Full Article at RT.com

In the wake of the Charlottesville protests, hate groups are being suspended or losing their accounts with major crowdfunding services and other tech companies, while the hacking group Anonymous continues to target their websites.
Read Full Article at RT.com

A US appeals court has ruled that the state of Arkansas has the right to deny Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. In 2015, the state ended its contract with the abortion provider because of controversial undercover videos.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Harrowing drone footage has captured the devastating aftermath of an enormous wildfire in Greece. The fire raged for nearly four days before firefighters finally contained the flames Wednesday. Read Full Article at RT.com

Yemen has been battered with more airstrikes in the first half of 2017 than the whole of 2016 according to a report compiled by several humanitarian agencies, leading to an ever-growing number of civilian casualties and refugees. Read Full Article at RT.com

US President Donald Trump’s threat of ‘military option’ against Venezuela prompted an ever-decisive and unanimous ‘no’ from the US allies in Latin America, even as they were closely following Washington’s line of isolating Caracas. Read Full Article at RT.com

A huge fire has erupted at a warehouse in northern Moscow which reportedly stores paints and furniture. Dozens of firefighters are battling the level 3-alarm fire that has so far engulfed some 15,000 square meters, according to the emergencies ministry. Read Full Article at RT.com

A pastor is petitioning Chicago, Illinois to rename two parks in African-American neighborhoods, because they are named after George Washington and Andrew Jackson – two US presidents who owned slaves. Read Full Article at RT.com

A memorial erected in Kiev for the fallen soldiers in the conflict in eastern Ukraine features a giant sword stuck into the map of Russia and a 'guardian angel,' whose image renders a striking resemblance to a character in the popular video game series Diablo III. Read Full Article at RT.com

A judge in Gwinnett County, Georgia has been suspended for comparing those taking down Confederate monuments to the terrorist group Islamic State. There has been a nationwide push across the US to remove Confederate symbols from public squares. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has unexpectedly made public the results of a confidential annual employee questionnaire, including a survey on the three year performance of former director James Comey. Read Full Article at RT.com

Conor McGregor will lose a whopping 90 percent of his reported $75 million purse for the fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr on August 26 should he be disqualified for an illegal blow. Read Full Article at RT.com

Baltimore authorities tore down and hauled away four Confederate monuments hours after the city’s council voted for the move. The Baltimore mayor said she wanted to avoid violence.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian medieval history may have events to influence a new book, the author of the novel series, ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ which inspired the top-rated 'Game of Thrones' TV series has said during a visit to St. Petersburg. Read Full Article at RT.com

Archaeologists working on a site in southern Egypt have discovered three tombs more than 2,000 years old containing a collection of stone coffins of “various shapes and sizes.” Read Full Article at RT.com

US President Donald Trump announced he is terminating the Manufacturing Council and the Strategy & Policy Forum after several CEOs resigned, citing Trump's comments about the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia at the weekend. Read Full Article at RT.com

An advertising campaign, launched in Austria by an organic smoothies producing company, has sparked controversy and was slammed for its “racist” overtones. The company has firmly denied the accusations. Read Full Article at RT.com

US Vice President Mike Pence has asked Chile, Peru, Mexico and Brazil to break diplomatic and other ties with North Korea, as part of a campaign to pressure Pyongyang into giving up missiles and nuclear weapons.
Read Full Article at RT.com

A black Italian teenager says she was prohibited from participating in a music festival because the color of her skin meant she wasn't a "true Italian," despite being born in the country. Read Full Article at RT.com

China has blasted “wanton” criticism from the US over religious freedom, saying that Washington confuses the facts and is itself far from perfect. The statement comes following a US State Department report on religious freedom worldwide. Read Full Article at RT.com

Violent clashes between white supremacists and anti-fascist groups like those seen in Charlottesville, Virginia, are bound to break out in the UK, according to the far-right British National Party (BNP). Read Full Article at RT.com

Basketball star LeBron James has again criticized US leader Donald Trump, branding him “the so-called president” and accusing him of making hate “fashionable again,” after violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia at the weekend. Read Full Article at RT.com

James Chapman, the former aide to Brexit secretary David Davis, says his interview on Channel 4 News was pulled because the “British media won’t tell the truth about Brexit.” He has called on his supporters to bring down the “rotten, fascist, corrupt government.” Read Full Article at RT.com

Times of Malta

The Moas volunteer group said today that 235 migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean by its ship ‘Phoenix’ in two operations. Both involved rubber dinghies, which carried 131 and 104 people respectively.
The Phoenix is now sailing north and has been instructed by Rome Rescue Centre to transfer the migrants to the Golfo Azzurro, a ship operated by the Proactiva Open Arms society. Ironically the same vessel last week was refused entry by both Italy and Malta to disembark three migrants, but they were later allowed to disembark in Sicily.
Moas said the first rubber boat was spotted by its maritime patrol aircraft which alerted the Italian authorities. They in turn instructed it to contact Tripoli rescue authorities, under whose responsibility the rescue area was.
When contacted, Tripoli told Moas to launch the rescue mission. Some of the migrants who were taken on board were found to be suffering from fumes inhalation and other injuries.
In the meantime, the Rome authorities notified Moas of a second rubber vessel that was spotted 13 nautical miles away, this time carrying 104 people. Rome coordinated with Tripoli, and agreed to handle the rescue. The Phoenix was then...

A 54-year-old British man resident in Malta was arrested on arrival from Sicily this morning after 6kg of suspected cocaine and 12kg of suspected heroin were found in his car.
The drug was hidden in the chassis of the vehicle.
Magistrate Gazzio Mercieca is hold an inquiry.
The police are expected to arraign the man in court tomorrow.

Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, have performed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
One of their tasks was to deploy several nanosatellites from a ladder outside the airlock. NASA said one of the satellites contained recorded greetings to the people of Earth in 11 languages.
The cosmonauts will also collect residue samples, according to NASA, from various locations outside the Russian segment of the station and install handrails and struts to facilitate future excursions.
This spacewalk marks the seventh this year.

From stand-up comedy to educational theatre and musical cabaret, Maltese performers are out in force this summer at the largest arts festival in the world.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which runs throughout August in the Scottish capital, features more than 53,000 performances from 62 countries, with audiences treated to a feast of comedy, theatre, dance, circus, cabaret, exhibitions, children’s shows, musicals, opera and spoken-word events.
The Fringe began in 1947 when eight theatre companies turned up uninvited to perform at the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival and retains its ‘open-access’ spirit as it enters its 70th edition, with anyone welcome to perform as long as they can secure a venue – and an audience.
“It’s not for the faint of heart,” said Malcolm Galea, whose children’s play The Complete History of Europe (More or Less), performed with actor Joseph Zammit, is one of several Maltese performances at this year’s festival.
“Pretty much every second person you’ll encounter is a supremely talented performer, writer, musician or whatever, so it’s unimaginably difficult to stand out. Having a family show limits our audience, but there are slightly fewer shows...

Last updated 9.33pm - Thirteen people died this afternoon when a van ploughed into a crowd of people in Barcelona. Catalan government officials said more than 50 people were hospitalised.
Police said they had arrested two men in connection with the attack. It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement by its news agency.
Witnesses said the van zigzagged down one of Barcelona's busiest tourist avenues, Las Ramblas, mowing down pedestrians and leaving bodies strewn across the ground.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that according to preliminary reports, there were no Maltese among the victims.
Images posted on social media showed people being tended to as they lay on the street.
The driver of the van fled on foot and Spanish authorities warned people to avoid the area. Reports of two armed men being holed up in a restaurant were later denied.
Lawyer and University of Glasgow rector Aamer Anwar was walking La Ramblas when he heard screaming.
He said a shopkeeper told him five or six people were badly injured and described the scene as "chaos".
Mr Anwar said: "I had been to the Cathedral...

The police are awaiting DNA results to establish whether a corpse found at sea late yesterday was that of a French man missing since Friday.
The corpse was found about a mile off Portomaso. An autopsy was held today.
The French man disappeared when he dived from a pleasure boat off Sliema on Friday evening. The search has now been called off.
Informed sources said the age of the corpse appeared to be about the same as that of the French man.

This picture of Malta from space was taken by the SpaceX/Dragon CRS-12 cargo craft as it approached the International Space Station yesterday, completing a two-day journey to the orbiting outpost.
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli grappled Dragon at approximately 12.52pm, using the space station's robotic arm.
According to NASA, the spacecraft is loaded with 2,900 kg of research materials, crew supplies and hardware, that include crucial materials to support the dozens of ongoing science research investigations.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will again be duelling for the title of world's best footballer after their names once again headed the shortlist on Thursday for The Best FIFA Men's Player.
The pair, who have dominated the global award in its varied forms for a decade, will be favourites to collect yet another accolade amid the 24-strong list of the world's best.
Ronaldo enjoyed another remarkable season in which he inspired Real Madrid to a La Liga/Champions League double while Messi topped him in the Spanish goalscoring charts for Barcelona while going past a career landmark of 500 goals for the club.
Zinedine Zidane, who guided Real Madrid's landmark season, with seven of their players in the men's shortlist, is recognised in his nomination as best men's coach.
The awards are a revival of the old FIFA World Player of the Year, which had been combined with France Football magazine's Ballon d'Or for six years before the collaboration ended last year. Ronaldo won the inugural "best" trophy.
They are voted for by national coaches and captains, selected media and fans, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on October 23.

Five foreign nationals charged with a string of thefts in the Sliema and St Julian’s area two years ago are likely to have absconded from Malta, the police have informed the court.
This emerges from a letter the Attorney General’s Office sent to the Times of Malta following a report titled ‘Sliema thieves gang “vanish” off police radar’, subtitled ‘Attorney General had insisted bail should be granted’, which appeared on August 11.
The Attorney General’s Office noted that it had “consistently and strongly” opposed all requests for bail made by the accused.
The latest such request was made on May 15, and notwithstanding the fact that the accused had been in preventive custody for 20 months (the maximum allowed by law for an outright unconditional denial of bail), the Attorney General said his office still strongly opposed, listing a number of reasons.
The Criminal Court granted the five accused bail on May 17 subject to a number of conditions, including an obligation to sign the bail book at a police station every day.
The court also imposed a personal guarantee of €30,000 on each of them.
The Attorney General said that the police informed the court on July 31 that the accused...

Shoppers concerned about a shortage of free bottled water at PAMA supermarket will soon be able to get their hands on the packs, as the store plans to restock in the coming weeks.
A spokesman for the Mosta complex told this newspaper that the shortage is temporary and customers can start collecting their free water soon.
Customers said that while shopping, instead of being given vouchers to pick up free water, they were handed vouchers for toilet paper. Some expressed concern as to what had led to the sudden shortage, worrying something could be wrong with the other batches.
Yet according to the spokesman, this was not the case and the issue was a result of an increase in consumption, as well as a slowdown in production by the supplier.
“Nothing is wrong with the water already given out. The supplier had some problems with machinery, and production slowed down. The heatwave didn’t help, as more people were picking up water than usual,” the spokesman explained.
The supermarket hands out vouchers to customers who spend more than €33. They do not expire, the spokesman said, and can be used once the water is back in stock.

Australian far-right senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa to parliament earlier today as part of her campaign to ban the all-enveloping garment worn by some Muslim women, drawing a quick rebuke from the government and Muslims.
Hanson sat in her seat in the assembly for about 20 minutes covered by the black burqa before removing it to call for them to be banned in public for national security reasons.
"I'm quite happy to remove this because this is not what should belong in this parliament," Hanson, who leads the far-right One Nation party, told the Senate.
"If a person who wears a balaclava or a helmet in to a bank or any other building, or even on the floor of the court, they must be removed. Why is it not the same case for someone who is covering up their face and cannot be identified?"
Hanson, who first rose to prominence in the 1990s because of her strident opposition to immigration from Asia and to asylum seekers, has in recent years campaigned against Islamic clothing and the building of mosques.
Her party has four senators, which gives it influence in parliament when closely contested legislation is being voted on.
Attorney-General George Brandis rebuked Hanson.
"I am not...

Bank of Valletta is supporting the restoration of the ‘Gran Salon’ at the Auberge de Provence in Valletta.
The Gran Salon is among the more captivating features of the Auberge de Provence (National Museum of Archaeology), with its richly painted walls and wooden beamed ceiling. Located on the upper floor of the Auberge, the Grand Salon is a
Located on the upper floor of the Auberge, the Grand Salon is a beautifully baroque decorated hall that was used by the Knights of the Order of St. John for their business discussions, as a refectory and also as a banqueting hall. It has one of the only five wooden trussed roofs still surviving from the Knight’s period and the mural decorations found within this hall are also unique on the island.
‘We actively seek out restoration projects which help keep our islands’ character and charm, and provide a link to its diverse history,’ bank chairman Deo Scerri said during a visit.
‘The promising results of the ongoing restoration fill us with confidence that we will once again be able to enjoy the Gran Salon in all its glory.’

A 10-year-old rape victim who was denied an abortion by India's top court gave birth today in a case that has drawn outrage about the sexual abuse of children.
The girl did not know she was pregnant and was unaware she had delivered a baby; her parents told their daughter she was undergoing stomach surgery to remove a stone.
"The girl is doing fine, she is recovering. We expect she will be discharged early next week," said Dasari Harish, who heads a committee overseeing the girl's care.
The girl, whose identity has been kept secret, delivered a girl by Caesarean section in a state hospital in the northwestern city of Chandigarh, said Harish, who is a hospital physician.
"The parents of the girl have refused to take custody of the child, and have agreed to her adoption through the state agency. They said they don't even want to see the child," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Local media reports said the girl had been raped by an uncle and that he was now under arrest.
The pregnancy was discovered when the child was taken to the hospital last month after complaining of stomach pains, and was found to be about 30 weeks pregnant.
COURT CONTROVERSY
A local court refused to...

A man who administered CPR to an unconscious young girl at Marsaxlokk is being hailed a hero for his quick action.
The incident happened late on Tuesday at il-Magħluq in Marsaxlokk when the girl, five, was seen face down in the water.
The girl's father said his daughter appeared to have been underwater for only a few seconds, possibly having been dragged by a current. She was pulled up, unconscious by her uncle and according to an eyewitness, she had no pulse.
"We lived through moments of horror," a witness wrote on Facebook, describing how her family had looked on in desperation as several people tried to revive her.
"Fortunately the ambulance did not take long to arrive. Had it taken a minute longer, I do not know what could have happened," one witness said.
Stephen Borg, who swiftly administered CPR, described the situation as a scary one.
"I never imagined I would have to do something like that. It was one thing following a first aid course and quite another to have a young girl in your arms in that condition. But, thank God, we brought her around," he said on Facebook.
Later he told Times of Malta that he been informed by relatives that the girl is 'okay' .
Mr Borg...

Workers exposed to airborne toxins may have an elevated risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, an immune system disorder that causes debilitating swelling and pain in the joints, a Swedish study suggests.
Among men, bricklayers, concrete workers and electricians had at least twice the risk of rheumatoid arthritis they would have in certain other occupations, the study found. For women, jobs in nursing carried a 30 per cent higher risk than other careers.
“Previous studies have indicated that occupations within the manufacturing sector are associated with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis,” said lead study author Anna Ilar of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
“The novelty of our findings is that we showed that occupations within this sector are related to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis even after controlling for lifestyle-related factors including smoking, alcohol use, education and (obesity),” Ilar said by e-mail.
While smoking is a known risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, the findings add to evidence suggesting that environmental factors could trigger the disease in some people. Previous research suggests that lung changes caused by inhaled pollutants...

Germany's Lufthansa is in talks to buy a majority of insolvent Air Berlin's aircraft, with the backing of Berlin, which is pushing for a national aviation champion, media reports said today.
Air Berlin, Germany's second-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday after shareholder Etihad Airways withdrew funding following years of losses.
The insolvency comes as many Germans enjoy summer holidays, and just ahead of a September general election, both factors which have put pressure on the German government to help minimise travel disruptions and job losses.
Berlin granted a bridging loan of €150 million to allow the airline to keep its planes in the air for three months and secure the jobs of its 7,200 workers in Germany while buyers for its assets are found.
Air Berlin's demise offers Lufthansa and rivals a chance to acquire slots at airports such as Berlin Tegel and Duesseldorf, with Germany's largest airline keen to defend its domestic position against expansion by low-cost rival Ryanair.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper cited company sources as saying that Lufthansa wants to take on as many as 90 of Air Berlin's roughly 140 planes, including the 38 aircraft...

Updated 4.51pm with comments by Dr Buttigieg - Anthony Buttigieg, who recently stepped down as the deputy leader of the Partit Demokratiku, has announced his intention to contest the leadership position.
The news was revealed by PD, saying that it had received an official resignation letter, submitted to outgoing PD leader Marlene Farrugia, which formalises his stepping down.
The party said it welcomed the doctor's decision to try for the top post.
“Partit Demokratiku welcomes broader participation by the general public in the continued evolution and growth of this new party,” it said.
In a comment to Times of Malta Dr Buttigieg said: "My intention will be to build PD as a separate party from PN. The two MPs voted in parliament on the PN/PD ticket should honour that agreement. The electorate voted them in with that in mind.
"However PD should also begin to build a proper party structure to contest on its own in the forthcoming EP and local council elections. Coalition talks, if any, with either PN/PL will have to wait."
Ms Farrugia announced last week that she would step down following the party's annual conference. Her partner Godfrey has so far not made his intentions clear,...

Fresh off winning her first Oscar, actress Emma Stone ousted Jennifer Lawrence on Wednesday to claim the top spot on Forbes' 2017 list of the world's highest-paid actresses.
Stone, 28, who won best actress for her role as a struggling actress in "La La Land," made $26 million in pre-tax earnings, according to Forbes' calculations over a 12-month period from June 2016 to June 2017.
She outpaced Jennifer Aniston, 48, who came in at No. 2 this year with earnings of $25.5 million, with residual income still coming in from the television sitcom "Friends" and endorsement deals with brands such as SmartWater and Emirates Airline .
Lawrence, 27, who topped the Forbes list for two consecutive years, dropped to No. 3 this year with earnings of $24 million, almost half of her prior year's earnings of $46 million.
The actress, who has spoken out on equal pay for women in Hollywood, saw her earnings dip this year after the conclusion of the "Hunger Games" franchise, but continues to make money from movie deals and an endorsement deal with fashion brand Christian Dior.
Forbes compiles its annual celebrity earnings lists from box office and Nielsen data, as well as from interviews with...

Algorithm technology that detects suspected match-fixing could be used to catch teams and players involved in sports corruption, according to the Malta Football Association’s watchdog.
MFA integrity officer Franz Tabone told the Times of Malta the technology formed part of the betting fraud detection system, a set-up already in place locally. “We have this technology and we get reports on local matches but there could be room to take this further,” he said.
Mr Tabone, who has spearheaded the fight against football corruption in Malta, said Lithuania and Cyprus recently become the first two countries to suspend players after they were identified by the system as being linked to irregular betting.
He made it clear he was not suggesting players and others involved in the sport would be shown the red card without due process. In his opinion, the technology should be used as part of a body of evidence that could be presented before the Court of Arbitration of Sport, a sort of court of justice for sportsmen and sportswomen.
Mr Tabone said the technology had recently been improved to provide more refined data as the international sporting community continued to clamp down on...

Welcome back for a whole new week of transfer news and coverage from the best leagues across Europe.
9.00pm That's it for today! Thank you for having stayed with us all day and join us again tomorrow for much more news, especially concerning Maltese football.
8.37pm Watford manager Marco Silva says no deal is in place yet to sign Andre Carrillo on loan from Benfica.
But the Hornets boss admitted that Carrillo is "a player I know very well", having worked with the Peru international during his time at Sporting Lisbon.
The 26-year-old Carrillo is currently with Benfica but has been strongly linked with a loan move to Vicarage Road and Silva confirmed that he is hoping to acquire further reinforcements.
8.16pm Burnley manager Sean Dyche says he is looking into the European market for a replacement for Andre Gray.
He said : "We haven't got the support (scouting system) as some of the big clubs so when we do go into Europe it is important we have as much information as possible.
"There are certain situations we do have information on and there are certain situations we look at."
7.24pm Fiorentina youth Federico Chiesa is edging closer in renewing with Stefano Pioli's side, waving...